Also called: Startup Generalist, Head of Operations
An early startup employee who does whatever the company needs: hiring, finance, customer support, sales and setting up processes.
Before lunch you set up payroll software and write the employee handbook; after lunch you handle angry customer emails and build a spreadsheet of sales leads. Every month the job changes as the company grows.
Salary is usually lower than big companies but comes with stock options that could be worth a lot (or nothing).
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's helpful; many come from consulting, banking or a previous startup.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Business Administration, Economics, Any major.
Growing about average. Startup roles rise and fall with venture funding.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI handles many back-office tasks like payroll setup and support replies, so startups hire fewer early generalists.
Classes: Business elective, Accounting, Computer applications, English Language Arts.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-1021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.